A Spark in the Void
by wherehopelies
Summary: "Maybe there's more to this Alison Hendrix chick than she originally thought." What if Beth didn't die? Partial AU in which Beth doesn't die and Soccer Cop is a thing. Will begin BEFORE season 1 and follow it through on the same timeline, but also with Beth. POV of all clones.
1. PROLOGUE

**A/N:** Hey. So I saw this random gifset and then I suddenly shipped Soccer Cop with a passion. Then I was depressed because they'll never happen. BUT THEN I totally thought, well hey... what if Beth didn't die?! And then this happened. I have to warn you, my updates will be sporadic, but I will always finish something I start so there's always hope for an update :) This fic will take place BEFORE the pilot and AFTER as season 1 progresses. Partially AU. From the POV of multiple clones because I love them all :) Okay. Enjoy. (Also if you're waiting for my Glee fic to be updated... I'm working on it. Slowly...)

* * *

The blue tint of light slowly filters into Sarah's eyes as she steps off the train at Huxley Station. She blinks harder, trying to shake the grogginess that was still present from her nap. A puff of cold air materializes in front of her as she makes her way to the pay phone. _Fuck this bloody weather._

She shoves a few coins into the pay phone, willing Mrs. S to answer. She sighs in relief when she hears her foster mom's familiar voice. She needs to see Kira.

The longer Mrs. S argues with Sarah, the more anxious she gets. She spins around, noticing the shaking shoulders of a woman further down the platform. _Bloody hell._ Not her problem.

She thinks of the coke in the bag slung over her shoulder, knowing she doesn't have much time before Vic comes after her. He'll be pissed for sure, especially after she flung that ash tray at his face.

Sarah snaps the phone back on its hook when Mrs. S hangs up on her and sifts through her remaining coins. Who else could she call? Felix?

She picks up the phone again before hanging it back on its hook. What would she say? She's been gone ten months. Felix is probably pissed at her too.

She turns around again when she hears more sobbing. _Christ_.

She takes a few steps toward the woman, who is pacing back and forth. She unconsciously walks closer, curiosity getting the best of her as the woman sets down her purse and begins to step out of her shoes, her arms coming up to tug at the jacket around her shoulders.

Just as Sarah is an arm's length away, the woman turns, and Sarah can't help the gasp that escapes her throat. _She looks just like me._

There's a small spark of recognition in the woman's eyes, and Sarah watches a tear roll down the face that is almost… identical to her own. Then she realizes.

_Shite. The woman's gonna jump._

The sound of the approaching train almost overpowers her thoughts as the woman takes a step toward the tracks.

Maybe it's because she's all alone. Or maybe it's because she's done with Vic. Or maybe it's the curiosity burning inside her, wanting to know more, her mind whirring to action as she thinks of the ways to spin the situation into something profitable.

Or maybe she's feeling… something. Sadness? Helplessness? _Kindness?_

Whatever it is, Sarah goes off of instinct.

Just as the train comes whooshing in, as the woman takes another determined step…

Sarah reaches out.


	2. Chapter 1

The first time Beth sees someone who looks exactly like her, she thinks she dreamed it. She convinces herself she dreamed it. She just started taking a new medication and blames it on wonky side effects.

She believes it was a dream. For many months, she believes the woman sitting on a park bench in yoga pants and a bright pink vest with her exact face is a figment of her imagination, a consequence of new meds. That is, until she received an email.

It comes in broken English, so broken that Beth almost convinces herself she's not understanding it. But she does understand it. And it's crazy.

Well, it would be crazy, except that a picture is included. And Beth knows she's not dreaming. The woman's hair might be shorter and deeply dyed a pinkish-red hue, but there is no mistaking it. The woman looks exactly like her.

It's crazy. But Beth is kind of crazy, so she sends the necessary information through the system. She tries to deny the words in the email, but the results come back, containing few answers and more questions.

_Clones. Killer. Find the rest._

She focuses on the driver's licenses. There are two of them and they unmistakably have her face. _Alison Hendrix._ She lived close. _Cosima Niehaus_. Not so close. Not close at all. California was on the other side of the continent.

Beth doesn't know what to do. She still doesn't believe it…. Except that she kind of does. She doesn't know what to believe. So she tells Paul she's staying late at work and drives the short distance to Scarborough. She parks the car across the street, her slightly tinted windows making for good enough cover.

Then she waits.

It doesn't take long. She sees a woman exit the house, recyclable grocery bags in hand. Beth gasps. She's seen her before. On a bench in the park. Or maybe in a dream.

She could follow her. She could talk to her. Tell her the crazy story that a woman named Katja told her.

But no. The second time Beth sees Alison Hendrix, she does the same thing she did the first time. She goes home and has a large glass of bourbon.

* * *

She doesn't know why, but she's afraid of Alison. She knows she has to go back and tell the woman what's happening, but she can't. She doesn't know why she can't. She's a cop and she's not one to be afraid, but it seems that talking to someone who shares the same face as you (and who knows what else) is a lot scarier than creeping gun-first into an abandoned warehouse where a known serial killer might be hiding.

Yeah. She knows. She's crazy.

* * *

She flies to California. What else can she do? She's accepted it. Sort of. It took a lot of pills and a lot of rereading that damn email and a lot of staring at their driver's licenses before she did… but she did.

She's never been to San Francisco, but she likes it. The air reminds her of Toronto. Cold and crisp and foggy. She leaves her hotel room and runs up and down the steeply slanted streets, attempting to clear her head and find courage. She finds courage, but she's not sure her head will clear ever again.

She pulls her rental car outside the apartment building, hoping that the address on the driver's license is up to date. She waits all day, watching people going in and out, but no sign of her… twin. She leaves and gets dinner before returning to her spot outside the building.

Finally, the woman she's looking for emerges just after ten. She looks different than in her license picture, but Beth would recognize that face anywhere.

Obviously.

The woman has her long hair in many braids that swing with every step. She's wearing a long red jacket and even behind her glasses, Beth knows it's the girl she's looking for.

She gets out of her car, jogging a little to catch the woman. She doesn't know what to say when she does.

"Uh. Hey." The woman doesn't acknowledge her. "Cosima," Beth says.

The woman turns around and Beth freezes. Will she ever get used to seeing her face on someone else?

Cosima looks at her. Then looks around her. Then looks back at Beth.

"Umm. Hi. Wow. You…" She exhales loudly. "Dude."

"I know this is really weird," Beth rushes out before she loses the courage. "But we need to talk."

Cosima tilts her head to the side curiously. Accepting. "I was just getting some ice cream."

Beth nods. "Sure, whatever."

She falls into step beside the girl, who has like, a million questions. "Are we twins? Wow. That's radical. My parents never said anything. How did you find me? Do our parents know about this?"

"Umm," Beth stammers. "Actually."

"Hold that thought," Cosima says and pulls open the door to a diner. She sits at the counter and Beth sits next to her, watching as Cosima orders a chocolate milkshake. "Want something," the girl asks her, but Beth shakes her head.

"So spill," Cosima turns to look at her, eyes shining with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. Beth knows that thirst. It's why she became a detective. Suddenly she doesn't feel so weird about the whole thing.

She explains the situation to Cosima, who sips at her milkshake until Beth is finished. She never interrupts, not when Beth mentions clones, or that someone is trying to kill them. She doesn't eye Beth like she's nuts. She just listens.

"So how many of us are there?" She asks eventually.

Beth shrugs. "So far we know of seven. But there might be more." She sighs. "There's probably more."

Beth can almost hear Cosima thinking. "So just me, you, and one other in North America? The rest – that you know of – all European." She smiles thoughtfully. "Have you contacted the other one, umm…"

"Alison," Beth supplies.

"Yeah. Have you contacted this Alison?"

Beth shakes her head. "No, just you."

Cosima nods. "And you're like, totally sure we're being hunted?"

Beth laughs darkly. "I'm not sure about anything."

Cosima smiles gently. "Well, the possibilities of cloning actually aren't that out there. It's been done before, just not to humans. That we know of I mean. That's illegal, obvs. But like, the science is there."

Beth just stares.

"I'm getting my masters at Berkeley. I'm a total science junkie." Cosima laughs. "Sorry if I nerd out on you, but this stuff is actually my life."

Beth rolls her eyes, willing to believe anything at this point. "How convenient."

"I'm graduating actually. Just waiting to hear from schools about my PhD."

"Congrats," Beth says. She even smiles. A little. Barely.

She guesses if she has to be… ugh, _clones_ with someone, then being Cosima's clone isn't so bad.

* * *

The third time she sees Alison Hendrix is probably one of the scariest moments of her life.

"I just want to talk!" Beth shouts as Alison swiftly walks away from her the moment she lays eyes on Beth.

"STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" Alison slams her car door and Beth watches as it screeches down the driveway and almost rams into her. Beth barely jumps out the way and she breathes rapidly, her heartbeat in her ears and adrenaline pumping through her system as the car speeds down the street.

Beth wonders how awful it would've been if Alison had just hit her and left her unconscious on the sidewalk.

Maybe not so awful.

* * *

She struggles to get a grasp on the situation.

"She doesn't want to talk to me," she tells Cosima over the phone. "I don't know what to do."

"_Maybe I should fly out. Two clones might be more convincing than one_."

"NO!" Beth screams. "I mean. Sorry. I just… she looks a little uptight. Plus I haven't mentioned the clone thing. She didn't give me a chance."

"_Well. Try to calm down dude._"

Beth is trying. She's trying to get the cap off the pill bottle, but her hands are shaking. Finally, she manages, and she downs three without even thinking.

"_Try again. I mean, the shock of seeing your exact replica will hopefully fade."_

Beth snorts. "You weren't that shocked."

"_Science, man. It's m-" _

"It's your life." Beth sighs, the pills finally starting to take effect. "Yeah. I know."

"_Exactly."_ She can hear Cosima's smile over the phone, eager and excited. _"Well, try to float it slow with her. It'll be okay_."

Beth hangs up soon after that. She's not sure anything will be okay ever again.

* * *

Paul starts to notice that she's being weird. Except she's totally not being weird. She thinks she's been hiding it well.

"Beth, I don't understand. You _just_ refilled that prescription."

The pills are supposed to be for her knee pain. Running marathons will do that to you. Except, her knees are the least of her problems now.

"No, that was months ago," Beth lies.

Paul doesn't believe her. They fight. He stays at Cody's for the weekend.

It's nothing new.

* * *

"Go away," Alison hisses.

"We need to talk."

"I don't want to talk." Alison moves her legs faster, but Beth had purposefully confronted Alison while she was out jogging. Beth could keep this pace up for miles.

"You don't want to talk to your long-lost twin?" Beth almost smiles. Almost.

Alison huffs dramatically. "No."

"Well, why not?" Beth laughs at Alison's attempt to run faster. Please. The wind in her hair. The ache in chest. This is where Beth lives.

"I'm an only child," Alison breathes out, curt despite her heavy panting.

Beth has no answer to that. She feels her calf muscles pull tight, her feet hitting the ground in a well-practiced rhythm.

"Fine, you're right," Beth says eventually. "I'm not your twin."

Alison is quiet, but only for a moment. "Shut up."

"We're clones."

"SHUT UP."

They round the corner and Alison races up her driveway and slams her front door. Beth throws her arms up in defeat.

Alison Hendrix is perhaps the most frustrating person she has ever met.

* * *

Beth jolts awake when she feels loud knocking on her car window. Did she fall asleep? Sometimes the pills make her tired.

"Unlock the car!"

Beth presses the button and her passenger door opens. Alison climbs in, looks around, then promptly points a gun at Beth.

"HEY!"

"Are you stalking me?" Alison breathes heavily, the gun in her hand shaking.

Beth would be afraid, but this is the calmest she's ever felt around Alison. Guns pointing at her? No problem. Her training kicks in.

"Alison, don't be rash," Beth says in an even voice. "Put the gun down."

"Who are you?" Alison ignores her, voice clipping higher as she brandishes the gun.

"Hey!" Beth shouts. "Watch that thing!"

"Tell me who you are or I'll shoot you."

Beth reaches her arm up carefully. Alison doesn't move. Beth maneuvers Alison's wrist so it goes slack, the gun coming loose in Beth's other hand. She clicks on the safety.

"Jesus woman. Have you ever even shot a gun before?"

Alison's hand nervously comes up to her neck. "No, but I have confidence I would've been accurate from a foot away."

Beth snorts out a laugh. "Right."

"Just tell me what you want with me," Alison snaps. "Money? My eggs? You'll have to know they work as much as yours."

Beth quirks her eyebrows. "What are you even talking about?"

"That's what this is about isn't it?" Alison tugs on her ear. "You can't get pregnant so you've tracked down your twin sister to use her eggs."

"Well," Beth strangles to find an answer. Cloning almost doesn't seem so ridiculous after Alison's assumptions. "Not exactly."

"Then what!" Alison's back tightens straighter than a board.

Beth tentatively puts a hand on Alison's arm, trying to calm her. The woman yanks away from her. "I just wanted to talk."

"We have nothing to talk about."

"Actually," Beth states dryly. "We're not twins."

Alison closes her eyes, clearly trying to calm down. "What?"

"Look," Beth says, knowing there was no way in hell Alison was going to believe her. "I know this is crazy but… we're clones."

Alison stares at her. Then she begins to laugh. A high-pitched laugh. Beth is certain it's the laugh of a lunatic.

"I'm being serious, Alison."

"I don't even know you," Alison remarks.

"Look, we're clones and someone's trying to kill us. I know it's crazy but – "

"No, you know what's crazy. You. We are not clones." Alison brings her hand up to her chest. "Mary and Joseph, why me. Why me? Why did I have to get a crazy long-lost twin?" Suddenly, Alison grabs the gun from Beth's hand. She thanks God she'd put the safety on.

"Be careful with that thing, would you?" Beth snaps. Gun safety was kind of a pet peeve of hers. If gun safety could be considered a pet peeve. "At least let me teach you how to shoot it."

"You? You teach me?" Alison seems almost delirious. "Lord, help me."

"I'm a cop," Beth says, pulling out her card. Alison stares at it, before Beth shoves it in her hand. "Just take it."

Alison laughs some more and climbs out of the car before disappearing inside her house.

Beth hits her steering wheel in frustration.

* * *

She gets Cosima to fly out. She even offers to pay for it, but Cosima said she had to "head that direction anyway." Apparently her PhD application was accepted and Cosima needs to visit to work some things out.

"Minneapolis," Cosima tells her, "is only a 14 hour drive away. It'd be nice to be closer in case anything happens with that whole being hunted thing."

Cosima says it so matter-of-factly. Like it doesn't even phase her. Like she hasn't been losing sleep and popping pills and fighting with her boyfriend constantly because of the situation.

Oh wait. That's Beth.

"So what's this Alison like?"

Beth thinks on it. "Think… soccer mom. Minivan. Gatorade. Pink. Stressed."

"Huh," Cosima tilts her head to the side. "Okay. Well, do we have a plan or are we just going for it?"

"I don't know," Beth shrugs. "I am lost in every possible way when it comes to Alison Hendrix."

* * *

"I thought I told you to stay away from me!"

Beth clenches her jaw. She didn't sign up for this. "Alright, just let me show you one thing and I promise I'll leave you alone. For good."

Alison points her finger in Beth's face. "You can't just keep showing up around here."

"Alright, I'm serious," Beth says, her hands coming up defensively.

They followed Alison to a Starbucks while she was out running errands. Beth had sat down across from her at a table, effectively pissing off Alison.

"Fine, what do you want? I have things to do today."

Beth looks over her shoulder and nods. Cosima sits down next to Beth.

"Hey," Cosima says with a smile. "I'm Cosima."

"What is the meaning of this," Alison hisses. "Is this some childish prank? I will not be made a fool of by – "

"Alison," Beth cuts her off. "Clones, remember?"

"I do not have time for this," Alison says, putting her head in her hands.

"I know it's hard, Alison," Cosima says gently. Alison's shoulders seem to slump slightly. Beth is impressed. "But if what Beth says is true we need to learn to accept one another. We're being hunted."

"Hunted?!" Alison looks up, eyes connecting with Beth's. She looks crazed.

"Er…" Beth clears her throat. "Hadn't gotten to that part yet, Cos. Sort of. Not really."

"Sweet Jesus, Mary, and Joseph." Alison clutches the cross necklace on her chest and starts muttering under her breath.

"Alison," Beth tries to get her attention. "Alison. Hey." She grabs Alison's hand that's resting on the table. "Alison!"

"I'm dreaming aren't I? Yes this is a dream." But she stares at Beth's fingers, the ones firmly clutching Alison's left hand.

Next to her, Cosima begins to talk about the science behind cloning. Alison clearly isn't listening and Beth doesn't understand one word of it. Alison finally meets her eyes and Beth's face feels hot.

They don't break eye contact until Alison numbly mutters something about picking up her kids from school. Beth feels like her whole body suddenly exists in slow motion.

"Do you think she believed us?" Cosima asks her after they've left the coffee shop.

"I dunno," Beth says. "Sometimes I still don't even believe it."

* * *

Cosima flies back to California and Beth leaves Alison alone. She puts all of her time and energy into work and into trying to find out more information about the person that's hunting them.

She suddenly feels like everything depends on her. Cosima, who is so eager about science and life in general. And Alison, whose eyes made Beth feel like she was suspended on a tightrope a thousand feet above the ground.

She feels the need to make sure that she didn't drag them into this situation just to put them in danger. Alison has a family and Cosima has a future.

And what does Beth have? A boyfriend who doesn't love her and probably never will? A job that she loves but causes her stress? A pain in the ass partner who is always sticking his nose in her life?

No, Beth thinks. She has nothing.

* * *

Beth really hates paperwork. She knows that everyone says it's the worst part about being a cop, but Beth thinks she hates it more than her colleagues. For that reason, she's working late on a Tuesday.

It's almost midnight when her phone rings, but Beth answers it anyway. Anything to save her from the massive pile of paper on her desk.

"Detective Childs."

The person on the other side of the line clears their throat. _"Hi is this… is this Beth?"_

"Yeah," Beth says through a yawn. "Who's this?"

"_It's Alison Hendrix."_

Beth drops her pen. "Alison?"

"_Yes. Let's make this quick. I have decided to take you up on your request."_

"My… request?" Beth crinkles her nose.

"_To learn how to shoot."_

Beth's lips quirk up slightly at Alison's determined tone. "Is that so?"

"_As soon as possible would be ideal."_

Beth snorts. "How about tomorrow?"

There's a pause. _"Tomorrow would work fine."_

After Beth gives Alison the details of where and when to meet, she hangs up and decides to call it a night. As she drives home she can't help the little laugh that escapes into the quiet of her car.

Maybe there was more to this Alison chick than she originally thought.


End file.
